Golf fans are in for a treat this week as the PGA tour treks to the Big Easy for the 2015 staging of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. It’s bound to be one exciting competition as three of the world’s top 10 golfers will be teeing it off at this event. It also stands as the last chance for golfers to earn a berth in The Players Championship next month so expect high-quality golfing action to commence all throughout the week.
Who will emerge victorious and grab the $1.24-million top prize? Read on for a detailed breakdown of the favorites, high-value sleepers and long shots for this prestigious tournament. If you’re looking for other sports action, though, you can check out our complete picks and predictions for the 2015 NBA Playoffs here.
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2015 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Betting Preview
Where: TPC Louisiana, Avondale
When: April 23-26, 2015
Favorites – Jason Day and Dustin Johnson
Jason Day enters this event as the prohibitive favorite, thanks in large part to the Australian being the highest-ranked golfer in the field this week. With that being said, Day has had difficulties with his game recently, missing the sort of form that earned him three top-five finishes and a victory in his first four events this year.
[sc:Golf240banner ]He finished outside the top 25 in two of his last three tournaments, including a disappointing 28th-place finish at the Masters last week. He ended up with a 72-hole total of one-under-par 277 as he finished 17 strokes behind eventual champion, Jordan Spieth.
Day will fancy his chances, however, of contending at New Orleans this week because of his excellent drive. He is fifth in the PGA Tour in driving distance with an average of 308.1 yards per drive. That will come in handy in tackling the long, 7,425 yard, par-72 course at TPC Louisiana.
One golfer who holds no fear for courses with long set-ups is American Dustin Johnson. The 30-year-old leads the PGA Tour in driving distance with a whopping average of 315.1 yards per drive this season. His strong driver has enabled him to record five top-10 finishes this year including a victory at the WGC-Cadillac and a sixth-place finish at Augusta earlier this month.
If he can manage to tame the long par-5s at TPC Louisiana, Johnson has a very good chance of becoming the PGA Tour’s third multi-winner this season.
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High-Value Sleepers – Billy Horschel and Rickie Fowler
One golfer who has had some success here in the past is Billy Horschel. The 28-year-old won this event back in 2013 where he shot a stunning final-round 64 to prevail by one stroke over D.A. Points. After winning the FedEx Cup title last season, many were expecting Horschel to continue his excellent form this year but that has not come into fruition.
He has finished outside the top 40 in seven of his first 11 starts with Horschel already missing three cuts this year. He struggled mightily at the RBC Heritage last week, finishing with a three-under total of 281, good enough for a tie of 51st at Hilton Head.
You can never write Horschel off from making a deep run this week, though. The experience he gained in that 2013 victory will be crucial in his quest to break off his slump at New Orleans. Look for Horschel to surprise at the Zurich Classic this week.
Another golfer who’s also struggling for form this year is Rickie Fowler. Just like Horschel, much was expected from Fowler at the beginning of the season following his sensational 2014 wherein he finished in the top 5 of all four major championships. He has so far failed to live up to expectations as he has yet to record a single top-10 finish this season.
The good news for Fowler fans is that his game is starting to pick up once again. He had a respectable showing at the Masters earlier this month, finishing in a tie for 12th at Augusta with a six-under-par total of 282, his best finish this year. He will look to bounce back from his dismal performance last year wherein he failed to make the cut.
Long Shots – Seung-yul Noh and Steve Stricker
If Rickie Fowler had a horrible end to his Zurich Classic tournament last year, the same can’t be said about Korean golfer Seung-yul Noh. The 23-year-old overcame windy conditions in the final round, shooting a 1-under 71 on Sunday to win the Zurich Classic by two shots. It was Noh’s first ever PGA Tour title as he became the seventh first-time winner to rule this event in the past 10 years.
Noh will encounter a different pressure this time around as he enters this event as the defending champion. He will look to become just the sixth golfer to record back-to-back wins here in New Orleans with Carlos Franco the last player to accomplish the feat back in 1999-2000.
Noh has had a rocky start this season, though, as he has yet to record a top-10 finish in 11 starts, missing the cut in five of those tournaments. With that being said, the Korean definitely knows his way around TPC Louisiana so it is worth taking a punt on him this week.
Another intriguing pick for this week is veteran Steve Stricker. The 48-year-old will be making just his second PGA Tour start this year at Zurich following a lengthy lay-off because of a back injury. He impressed however in his last start at Augusta, finishing in a tie for 28th with a one-under-par total of 287.
One advantage that Stricker has against the competition is his excellent putting stroke. He has used that edge to the hilt here at the Zurich Classic where he has finished in the top 20 in eight of his 12 starts. His highest finish here was a tie for fourth back in 2000 and he finished sixth in his last appearance here at New Orleans in 2012.
That experience will prove vital especially when handling TPC Louisiana’s tricky greens. If he can drain some putts in the early going, who knows? Stricker might pull off a shock and grab his first ever Zurich Classic title this week.
